Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of Evidence\Gone Missing\Lethal Exposure (4 page)

Brooke nodded. “Morning.”

“I see you two have met.”

Claire nodded. “I was just telling her what a beautiful dog she has.”

“Claire loves anything with four legs,” he told Brooke. “Let me just leave a few instructions for her and we'll head out.”

He could see the curiosity in Claire's narrowed eyes, but didn't want to take time to explain Brooke's presence in addition to the other things he needed to tell her. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Eight forty-five. He'd told the Fullers he'd pick up Felix at nine-thirty. Plenty of time to cover the morning's work with Claire. He looked at Brooke. “You get any sleep?”

She shook her head. “Not much. I finished the paperwork and closed my eyes for a few minutes.”

Jonas rubbed a hand down his freshly shaven chin. “I can't believe you were right. The whole smoke bomb thing was just to get us out of my house so someone could search the place.”

“It looks like it.”

“Should have set it up so an officer was inside my house and could have just grabbed the guy when he broke in.”

“Maybe.” She gave him a soft lopsided smile. “Mercy and I'll be in the car,” Brooke said. “Nice to meet you, Claire.”

“You, too, Brooke.”

They left and within minutes Jonas had finished up with Claire and was climbing into the passenger seat. Mercy sat in the back in her special kennel. “So tell me more about who Felix spent the night with?”

Her question grounded him, brought all of his worries surging to the surface. “He's a friend from school and the track team. His name is Travis Fuller.” He gave her the address, and she entered it into the GPS and pulled out of the parking lot. “I can tell you how to get there,” he said, amused.

“I don't want to have to worry about it. You said Felix had been getting into trouble.”

Jonas sighed. “Yes.” He shook his head. “He's been getting in fights lately. His grades are circling the drain, and his attitude is getting hard to tolerate.” His hand fisted on his thigh. “I'm up to my ears trying to keep my practice going since my partner quit three months ago.”

“Working a lot of hours?”

“Too many,” he admitted.

“And Felix is taking advantage of your distraction.”

“In a big way. I know it, I see it, but I feel trapped. I can't ignore my work or I won't be able to keep a roof over our heads, but I can't ignore Felix either or I'm going to be visiting him in juvenile detention.” He didn't know why he was baring his soul to her, but he had to say it felt good to share it.

“I'm sure you do the best you can. It can't be easy being a single parent.”

“It stinks.” He gave a soft laugh. “But I love that kid more than anything.”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I can tell.”

He reached over and snagged her hand to squeeze her fingers. His throat tightened. “I've missed you, Brooke.”

She sucked in a deep breath and shot him a glance out of the corner of her eye. “I've missed you, too.”

He blinked and she laughed. “What? You didn't expect me to admit it?”

“No.”

She shook her head. “The past is sitting like a weight between us, isn't it?”

“Yes.”

She tapped the wheel and made a left turn. “I don't know what to tell you, Jonas. I thought I was making the right decision at the time when I chose to keep all distractions to a minimum and focus on my career.”

“So it was strictly your career that was keeping you from being willing to talk about us having a future together?”

“It was part of it.”

“What was the other part?”

A sigh slipped from her and she gave a small shrug, but didn't answer the question. He relished the fact that she hadn't pulled her hand from his yet and continued to watch her as she drove. “I thought we had something, that we could have been good together. I never did understand why you wouldn't give me a chance. As you can imagine, all kinds of things ran through my mind. Was it because I was divorced? Because I had Felix?”

She seemed to think about it. Then slipped her fingers from his. He grimaced. He wanted to kick himself. He'd moved too fast. Too much too soon. She'd been back in his life for just a few hours and he was already scaring her away.

But this time she didn't run. “No, your divorce didn't have anything to do with it. And Felix is a precious gift. He never factored into why—” She fell quiet and he hoped she'd elaborate. She didn't. “When we were friends,” she said, “you never really talked about your ex-wife. I mean never. Like not one word. And when I brought her up, you changed the subject. Mostly to talk about Felix.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He thought about that. Was she right? Maybe. “What do you want to know about her?”

She shrugged. “What happened with you two? Why did you split up? Or is that too personal?” she asked.

“Not too personal. It's not a secret. She had a problem with commitment.”

“Ah.”

“She found someone else who suited her ‘live and let live' lifestyle better than I did.” He shrugged.

“What? So she left you? Why would she leave
you
? Is she
crazy
?”

Jonas barked a short laugh. “Well, those questions just did more for my self-esteem than anything else I could think of.”

She flushed and it endeared her to him. She also looked uncomfortable. He let her off the hook. “I miss what could have been, but I don't miss her now.”

“But Felix does?”

He sighed. “No, he doesn't remember her. He misses the idea of her.”

“He wants a mother.”

“He does, but when she left us, she left. Like I have no idea where she is or what she's doing now.”

“You've had no contact with her at all?”

“None. After I signed the papers, she disappeared from our lives.”

Brooke pulled to the curb of the Fuller home and cut the engine. “I'm really sorry about that.”

“I was too at the time. But it is what it is and I've moved on.” He looked at the house. “And now I'm ready to get some answers from my son.”

“You want me to go with you?”

“No. I'll get him. I don't want to say anything in front of his friend.”

“I'll wait here.”

He nodded and climbed from the car. He walked toward the front door and drew in a deep breath. Trouble and Brooke had re-entered his life without any warning. He prayed the trouble was resolved fast and left as quickly as it appeared.

He just hoped Brooke didn't go with it.

FIVE

B
rooke watched him walk up to the front door and ring the bell. She admired his broad shoulders and strong back. He'd always kept himself in great physical condition, and that hadn't changed. His love of all things sports kept him fit.

She glanced in the rearview mirror, wondering who'd thrown the bomb in Jonas's house last night. Who had they chased and lost? She'd never had a glimpse of his face. His dark clothes disguised his build, and the baseball cap had hidden his features. The darkness had definitely worked in his favor.

A young teen stepped outside onto the front porch. He had a black backpack slung over his right shoulder. Brooke would have known he was Jonas's son had she spotted him in a crowd. A miniature replica of his father, he had sandy blond hair and a lanky build. She'd seen him as a young child about five years old and he was now just an older version of the child she remembered. She knew that he had Jonas's light brown eyes, too.

The sullen expression was all his own, though.

He shoved past Jonas then lifted his head and saw her sitting behind the wheel. He stopped, his frown deepening. He turned and said something to Jonas, who nodded. Jonas shook hands with the man still standing in the doorway then the two of them headed toward the car.

Jonas slipped into the passenger seat. His son slumped in the back next to Mercy's kennel.

Brooke took a deep breath and let it out in a slow silent whoosh. She caught Felix's eye in the mirror and he looked away. “Hi,” she said. “I'm Brooke.”

“Hi,” he mumbled.

He didn't ask who she was or seem to care that she was there. “You hungry?”

He perked up at that question. “Yeah, I didn't have time to eat breakfast.” He shot his dad an accusing look.

“Hey, it's nine-thirty. You had plenty of time to eat.”

“I'm a teenager, Dad. I sleep in on Sunday morning. Or I do when I'm spending the night with a friend and we plan to get breakfast at church.”

“The whole breakfast thing might be my fault, I'm afraid,” Brooke said. “I insisted on getting you early. Hence the offer to feed you.”

“Oh.” The defiant look fell away and he actually gave her a curious look. “Okay. Sure. Where are we going?”

“What's your favorite breakfast place?”

“The Original Pancake House on M. Lee Highway.” He and Jonas spoke at the same time and she smiled.

“Sounds good to me.” She glanced in the rearview mirror and waited for the dark vehicle coming up beside her to pass. It slowed and she tensed, her mind flashing to the night before, her hand moving to her weapon. When the car passed, she let out a slow breath. Not everyone is after him, she reminded herself. But someone was and she'd take all precautions to make sure Jonas—and now Felix—stayed safe.

She pressed the gas and pulled away from the curb. Fifteen minutes later after several failed attempts at conversation with Felix, she parked and they climbed from the vehicle, Mercy trotting obediently at her side.

Once seated with Mercy at Brooke's feet under the table, they ordered and silence fell again. Jonas caught her gaze. She nodded. He cleared his throat. “Felix, someone broke into our house last night.”

The teen's head shot up and for the first time that day, he met his father's gaze. “What? Why? Are you okay? Did they catch him?”

“Yes, I'm fine, thanks.” Jonas's jaw worked. She could see he was touched at his son's concern. “The house isn't so fine, but we are.” He explained what happened and that they would have to stay at his office until the insurance company could give an appraisal on the damage. “But I've got friends in high places. We'll get it taken care of pretty fast.”

Felix looked dazed. “So who are you again?” he asked her. Finally something other than defiance on his face.

“I'm Brooke Clark. I work for a law enforcement organization called the Capitol K-9 Unit.” Felix's eyes flicked toward Mercy, who sat under the table, her head the only part of her body poking out. Brooke answered his silent question. “Mercy and I are partners. Your dad called us last night after the break-in.”

“Why you?”

“I found this.” Jonas pulled the phone from his pocket and slid it across the table.

Felix's eyes went wide, and he clamped his lips together.

Brooke's senses tingled. “Where did you get it?” she asked him.

Felix crossed his arms and looked away, the defiance back in spades. Jonas gave a huff of frustration. “Tell me, Felix. This is important. A picture of a dead woman is on this phone, and we need to know what you know.”

Felix swallowed and a flash of fear crossed his face, but he refused to comment. Jonas's face began to darken, and his eyes turned thunderous. Brooke laid a hand on his arm. He sat back, and she could tell he was putting good effort into gaining control of his temper. “Felix, do you mind if I tell you a story?”

He jerked and shot her a confused look. “About?”

“About a little boy who no longer has a mother.”

Felix's fist tightened around his glass and for a moment Brooke wondered if he was going to pick it up and throw it. “Sure,” he gritted. “What about him?”

“About two months ago, a woman named Rosa Gomez was killed. Even though it hasn't been proved to be murder yet, we believe she was pushed off the cliffs at President's Park. She had a little boy who's only two years old. The good thing is that Rosa had a sister named Lana. Lana now has custody of little Juan, but losing his mother shouldn't have happened. We want to catch the person who took her away from him.”

Felix flicked a glance at his father. “He doesn't have a dad either?”

“Not one that wants to be in the picture,” Brooke said. “At least that's the impression we've gotten so far since no one has come forward to say he's the father.”

Felix took a swig of his drink, then set the glass back on the table with a thunk. The waitress delivered the food and a lull rose. Jonas thanked the woman, who nodded and left.

“Do you mind if I say the blessing?” Brooke asked.

“No, go ahead,” Jonas said. Felix looked a little uncomfortable, but didn't protest.

Brooke prayed over the food and asked God to continue to keep them safe. They ate in silence for the next few minutes. “What's going to happen to him, to Juan?” Felix asked.

“Right now, he's with his aunt, so he's being taken care of, but his mom is gone and we want to find who killed her so he doesn't have to grow up wondering.” Felix looked ready to burst into tears, but Brooke hoped her words would get the boy to tell them what he knew. She didn't like being so manipulative, but every word she spoke was true. “We've tracked down every lead we could get, but lately, it seems the trail has grown cold. Until now. Until your dad called to tell me about the phone. This is a huge deal for us, Felix. Would you please tell us what you know about the phone?”

“I found it,” he blurted. “On the cliffs, buried under the rocks near the police tape. I didn't know it belonged to a dead woman. I didn't know, I didn't.”

“Okay. I believe you.” Brooke felt Jonas tense beside her. She spoke quickly before he had a chance to interrupt. “Would you be willing to show us where you found it?”

“Yes. I'll show you.” Now that Felix had confessed, he couldn't seem to get the words out fast enough. “I didn't mean to steal it. I thought someone had just lost it. I knew once I got it charged, I could connect to the internet to play games with my friends. That's all I wanted it for.”

“How'd you get—and keep—the battery charged?” Jonas asked.

He shrugged and looked down at the table. “I couldn't charge it until the day before yesterday. Travis finally found an extra charger and brought it to school for me.” He lifted his head and jutted his chin. “If you'd let me have a cool phone like all the other kids, I wouldn't have felt the need to keep the one I found.”

“So this is my fault, huh?” Jonas asked, the thread of anger back in his voice.

Felix swallowed and offered another shrug.

Brooke's heart ached at the tension between the two. They needed each other, they just didn't know what to do about it. “Okay, here's the plan—”

“He chased me,” Felix muttered.

“What?” Jonas asked sharply.

“When I found the phone,” Felix said, “there was a man out there. He, uh, saw me, I guess, and chased me.”

Jonas leaned in. “Who was it?”

Felix lifted a shoulder. “How should I know? Some old dude. Like about your age, I guess.” Brooke barely managed to smother her snort of laughter at the look of consternation on Jonas's face at his son's comment. She looked away and processed Felix's words. But he wasn't finished. “I thought he was a cop and if he caught me he'd put me in juvie or something for being behind the crime scene tape. I ran fast and hid. He looked for me for a while, but I was faster and smarter.”

“Good for you,” Brooke said. “I'm glad he didn't catch you. He could have been a dangerous guy.”

Felix shivered. “I didn't think about him being dangerous, I just didn't want him to catch me.”

“When did you find the phone?” Jonas asked.

“A couple of months ago.”

Brooke glanced at Jonas, her mind spinning with possibilities. Sometimes deduction was a “what-if” game. “Okay, so you found the phone a couple of months ago. You get it charged up day before yesterday. Felix, last night the person who broke into your house demanded your dad give him ‘the phone.'”

Felix flinched. His gaze jumped from his father to Brooke then back to Jonas. “Are you sure you're really okay?”

“I'm fine, but I don't think the timing is a coincidence.”

“I don't either,” Brooke said.

Jonas rubbed his eyes. “You think whoever is after the phone has just been waiting for it to come back online?”

“I do.” She nodded and took the last bite of her food.

“And tracked it via the GPS.”

“Exactly.” She nodded to the phone. “I can't believe the thing still works. I mean, you didn't find it the day she died, did you?”

“I don't think so. I remember that it had rained that day. I was throwing rocks into the puddles to see how high the water would go. There was a big puddle behind the police tape, so I ducked under. I moved one of the rocks and found her phone.” He shrugged. “It had a LifeProof case on it,” Felix said. Brooke nodded. The case would have protected it against the elements. “The battery was dead when I found it,” Felix said. “I took the case off to make it easier to play the games once I got it charged. I didn't know someone would be tracking it.” He dipped his head and studied his fingers. “I guess I should have turned it in to someone when I found it, huh?”

Jonas sighed. “Yes, you should have, but there's nothing to be done about that now. The important thing is that you're telling the truth now.”

Brooke drew in a deep breath. “Absolutely. Thanks for telling us this, Felix. I appreciate it.”

“I'm sorry,” he said, his voice low, eyes on the table once again.

Jonas reached across the table to cover his son's hand when the window over the booth behind them ruptured.